Students of Shakespeare often have trouble understanding the sentence structure in the plays. Shakespeare quite frequently wrote sentences in inverted, or backwards, order:
Shakespeare: Break off thy song, and haste thee quick away. Measure for Measure Act (4.1.7)
Translation: Stop singing and leave quickly.
Shakespeare: How like a fawning publican he looks. The Merchant of Venice (1.3.38)
Translation: He looks like an overly flattering tavern keeper.
Shakespeare: The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse; In half an hour she promised to return. Romeo and Juliet (2.5.1-2)
Translation: I sent the nurse at nine o’clock; she promised to return in a half an hour.
This object before verb structure is found in Germanic languages, and the inverted sentence structure reflects the English language’s Germanic roots
The Difference in Words
Common Pronouns, Verbs and Prepositions
thou = you (subject, singular, informal) e.g. "Thou wast in the next room."
ye = you (subject, plural) e.g. "Ye all came forth from the room."
thee = you (object... "to you" ) e.g. "I saw thee in the other room."
thine or thy = your (possessive, singular) e.g. "That is thy room."
Other Word Differences anon = right now, OR “I come right away”……. “Anon, good nurse! Speak!” art = are, OR skill……“Thou art dead; no physician’s art can save you.” aught = anything ay = yes dost or doth = does or do……“Dost thou know the time?” doth = does ere = before……“We must leave ere daybreak.”
fain = gladly……“I fain would bake Mr. Love cookies if I could get an A.”
fie = an exclamation of dismay or disgust……“You cheated? Fie upon it!” OR “Fie! Are you mad?”
hark = listen……. “Hark to the owl,” OR “Hark! The herald angels sing!” hast orhath = has……… “He hath killed many a man.” OR “He hath a horse.” hence = away…..“Get thee hence, beggar!” OR “We must hence before the army arrives.”
hie = hurry……“Hie thee hence, or lose your life!”
hither = here…..“Come hither, young lad.”
ho = hey (roughly equivalent). “Lucius, ho!” [Brutus calling his servant]
mark = pay attention to…….. “Mark my words.”
marry = indeed……(a mild swear word) “He says I should respond quickly; marry, I want to.” nay = no oft = often pray/prithee = a polite way of asking something……“I prithee answer the question.”
saucy = cheeky; sassy……“Hence, thou saucy boy!”
sirrah = a term of address used for inferiors……“Sirrah, bring the letter over here.”
thither =there……“Look to the eastthither doth the sun arise.” 'tis = it is 'twas = it was wast = were whence = from where…….. “Whence came that news?” OR “Return to whence you came.”
wherefore = why……“Wherefore dost thou leave?”
OR “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” [As in, “why can’t you be someone else, whom my family doesn’t hate?”] would (he were) = I wish (he were) yea = even yon, yonder = that one there
Shakespeare
Words Invented by Shakespeare
Phrases Shakespeare coined
Old English - Canterbury Tales
Middle English
The Difference in Syntax
Students of Shakespeare often have trouble understanding the sentence structure in the plays. Shakespeare quite frequently wrote sentences in inverted, or backwards, order:
- Shakespeare: Break off thy song, and haste thee quick away. Measure for Measure Act (4.1.7)
- Translation: Stop singing and leave quickly.
- Shakespeare: How like a fawning publican he looks. The Merchant of Venice (1.3.38)
- Translation: He looks like an overly flattering tavern keeper.
- Shakespeare: The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse; In half an hour she promised to return. Romeo and Juliet (2.5.1-2)
- Translation: I sent the nurse at nine o’clock; she promised to return in a half an hour.
This object before verb structure is found in Germanic languages, and the inverted sentence structure reflects the English language’s Germanic rootsThe Difference in Words
Common Pronouns, Verbs and Prepositions
thou = you (subject, singular, informal) e.g. "Thou wast in the next room."
ye = you (subject, plural) e.g. "Ye all came forth from the room."
thee = you (object... "to you" ) e.g. "I saw thee in the other room."
thine or thy = your (possessive, singular) e.g. "That is thy room."
Other Word Differences
anon = right now, OR “I come right away”……. “Anon, good nurse! Speak!”
art = are, OR skill……“Thou art dead; no physician’s art can save you.”
aught = anything
ay = yes
dost or doth = does or do……“Dost thou know the time?”
doth = does
ere = before……“We must leave ere daybreak.”
fain = gladly……“I fain would bake Mr. Love cookies if I could get an A.”
fie = an exclamation of dismay or disgust……“You cheated? Fie upon it!” OR “Fie! Are you mad?”
hark = listen……. “Hark to the owl,” OR “Hark! The herald angels sing!”
hast orhath = has……… “He hath killed many a man.” OR “He hath a horse.”
hence = away…..“Get thee hence, beggar!” OR “We must hence before the army arrives.”
hie = hurry……“Hie thee hence, or lose your life!”
hither = here…..“Come hither, young lad.”
ho = hey (roughly equivalent). “Lucius, ho!” [Brutus calling his servant]
mark = pay attention to…….. “Mark my words.”
marry = indeed……(a mild swear word) “He says I should respond quickly; marry, I want to.”
nay = no
oft = often
pray/prithee = a polite way of asking something……“I prithee answer the question.”
saucy = cheeky; sassy……“Hence, thou saucy boy!”
sirrah = a term of address used for inferiors……“Sirrah, bring the letter over here.”
thither =there……“Look to the east thither doth the sun arise.”
'tis = it is
'twas = it was
wast = were
whence = from where…….. “Whence came that news?” OR “Return to whence you came.”
wherefore = why……“Wherefore dost thou leave?”
OR “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” [As in, “why can’t you be someone else, whom my family doesn’t hate?”]
would (he were) = I wish (he were)
yea = even
yon, yonder = that one there